The Renaissance Choir will present its In Memoriam concert at St Peter’s Church in Petersfield on October 31 at 7.30pm.

Conductor Catherine Olver, organist Mark Dancer and the Emsworth-based choir will present choral music evoking the hardships and sacrifices endured by those fighting the two world wars.

Douglas Guest’s For the Fallen perfectly encapsulates this idea in miniature form, while Lux Aeterna vocalises the expressive lines of Sir Edward Elgar’s Nimrod, a piece often associated with British Remembrance.

But the concert programme also takes the listener on a journey of inner peace and contemplation, combining music from more than four centuries ago with that from contemporary composers.

They can enjoy the lush harmonies of Edward Bairstow’s Let all mortal flesh keep silence and Eric Whitacre’s Sleep alongside the intricate polyphony of works by Renaissance masters Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and Tomás Luis de Victoria.

The concert culminates in Gerald Finzi’s narrative-driven Lo, the full, final sacrifice, which recalls themes of sacrifice and conflict.

Tickets, priced £20 (under-25s £3) are available from www.renaissancechoir.org.uk, One Tree Books in Petersfield or on the door.

The Renaissance Choir is one of Hampshire's most accomplished chamber choirs, known for its purity of sound and beautiful blend of voices.

Publicity manager Simon O’Hea said: “We’re a group of around 30 singers from West Sussex and Hampshire who enjoy the challenge and fun of singing a cappella, though some of our singing is accompanied. We also like to split our singers into separate choirs so to achieve additional effects.

“Although we put music of the Renaissance period at the heart of our repertoire, we also generally try to perform lesser-known music or to premiere new works or arrangements, some of which we’ve commissioned.

“This includes the acclaimed Songs of Hope piece written for our 50th anniversary and premiered in March 2026.”